Building a bridge from the Chemin des Îles in Lévis to Quebec would likely require crossing federal land, something the two engineers behind the proposal were unaware of. And Ottawa’s cooperation on a third road connection seems anything but certain.
• Also read: A second important road connection in Quebec: Experts propose a bold new solution to provide Quebec and Lévis not with a third, but with a real second connection
After François Legault recently revived the possibility of building a third road link between Quebec and Lévis, two engineers, Bruno Massicotte and Daniel Toutant, published an open letter on Tuesday in which they put forward a new idea.
The first signed a feasibility study in 2016 for a third sub-river link between Quebec and Lévis, west of the island of Orléans, while the second was particularly responsible for the bridge project. Highway 25. After re-examining the possible routes they advocated building a bridge between Champlain Boulevard in Quebec and the Chemin des Îles sector near the Jean Gaulin refinery in Lévis.
On the north side, the work would be completed by a tunnel dug into the rock leading to Boulevard Charest (A440).
“At the northern end of the Chemin des Îles, pillars could be placed 100 to 150 meters apart on the agricultural land below, which would have no more impact on agricultural operations than electricity pylons,” explain the two engineers in their proposal, which is between 100 and 150 meters apart 150 meters could be $4 billion to $6 billion, Mr. Massicotte estimates.
Federal Farm
What Mr. Massicotte and Mr. Toutant did not know, however, is that these agricultural lands in question belong to the federal government.
In fact, on the corner of Boulevard Guillaume-Couture and Chemin des Îles, at the intersection of the districts of Saint-David and Saint-Romuald, is the Chapais experimental farm, closed since 2014.
Deployment of Lévis firefighters at the JC Chapais farm, Friday April 11, 2014. BENOIT GARIEPY/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC/AGENCE QMI ARCHIVE PHOTO BENOIT GARIEPY/JOURNAL DE QUEBEC/AGENCE QMI
In 2020, the city of Lévis tried to convince Ottawa to cede the land that had already been an animal quarantine station.
“I didn’t know,” Mr. Massicotte admitted in an interview with Le Journal. “Is this a federal farm? I didn’t know,” Mr. Toutant also said.
According to Mr Massicotte, it could then be an “opportunity for the federal government to promote this space by killing two birds with one stone” with a site to which the population has never had access.
Already resistance
However, the Trudeau government has never been enthusiastic about the third highway connection project, preferring instead to focus on the tram project, on which the Legault government recently imposed a six-month pause.
“Our immediate investment is in modern public transport for the Quebec region,” said federal minister and Quebec MP Jean-Yves Duclos briefly when asked about the two engineers’ proposal.
Quebec Mayor Bruno Marchand was also asked about the issue and expressed concern about the proposed connection to Champlain Boulevard, which he stressed would pose “major challenges.”
“It’s impossible to answer you if it makes any sense. Mr. Massicotte is a credible and competent person. He definitely did a first job. We have to go further in our studies. I can’t tell you this morning if that makes sense. I can’t tell you if it meets the requirements. I can’t tell you if this will allow more people to be relocated,” he said.
“There needs to be an exit because we need it,” explained Mr. Massicotte on this point, referring in particular to the emergency services. In my opinion, the use or usage of this exit should be very restricted. But that’s beyond my abilities.”
The discrete CAQ
The Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault, her colleague in charge of the Capitale-Nationale, Jonatan Julien, and her counterpart from Lévis, Bernard Drainville, preferred to leave their deliberations to CDPQ Infra and therefore preferred not to react.
Minister and CAQ MP for Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, Martine Biron, finds the idea interesting. “The two engineers are still credible,” emphasized Ms. Biron, who expects further proposals to become public.
“Both bridges have their limits at some point. They are starting to age, so we still have to think about the future,” she said.
– In collaboration with Taïeb Moalla
About Chapais Farm
- Covers an area of 40 hectares, almost half the area of the Abraham Plains
- From 1914 to 1982 the site was used as an animal quarantine station
- Ottawa operated an experimental farm there until 2014
- The federal government is looking for a new purpose for the site, which has been closed since 2014
- The city of Lévis tried to convince Ottawa to cede it to them, but without success
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